We hear today that Winsor has now been put forward as the preferred candidate of the Home Secretary, Theresa May. He now has to go through a couple of hoops before his name being submitted to the Queen for approval (rubber stamping.) It just shows you that you don't need any policing experience for a top job in policing!

He will shortly be interviewed by the Home Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Keith Vaz. The Committee will have to approve Winsor's appointment. A long time ago now I blogged about Keith Vaz. His expense claims and 'flipping' of homes somehow escaped prosecution. I don't know how. It seems we now have to rely on Mr Vaz to keep Winsor out of this role.

Keith Vaz MP

This Government are up against it. They are having to deal with the austerity brought about by the previous incompetents. I suspect however that this Government won't be around for more than one term. Their handling of a number of issues has been amateurish and there is an arrogance about them that is not at all endearing.

Theresa May and Nick Herbert are extremely arrogant and the Police Federation treating 'Kittens' disrespectfully will not have gone down well. I am not suggesting she didn't deserve it. The Federation need to be shouting from the rooftops regarding the end of policing in this country.

Winsor's appointment will simply show the Government's resolve to go ahead with reform and the privatisation of the police service. This is the beginning of the end of traditional policing in this country. The public need to understand what this means. G4S security patrolling your streets and responding to incidents. G4S security investigating your crimes. A small (probably national) paramilitary police force to tackle violent offenders, riots, demonstrations etc.

The public and media need to take on board what is happening to policing in this country and start fighting it. It will soon be too late.

21 comments:

They often carried copper pots to cook their meals while on duty, and thus gave birth to the commonplace term used for them today "copper." Their rounds often carried them 20 miles a day on foot, and they had to punch a ticket or write a diary notation at the house of a respected citizen on each far end of their patrol to prove they had worked. This gave birth to the punch clocks that security guards still use today.

Ciaran, the figure of 75% is a guestimate for young black males. The guestimate for black males as a whole is 30% so you were 65% out not 20% as you are now trying to make out.Rather than shouting racism perhaps you would like to put your mind to why young black men are being arrested. Absent fathers, poor role models, poor work ethic, gang culture, poor educational achievement Etc. Perhaps those are the issues rather than racist police?We just need an apology now for all your other ridiculous allegations now Ciaran. The increased medication is apparently working. Keep it up!

I have to agree melv. There are about 200 full time officers working for the Fed. I suspect early consideration will be given to wiping out the whole lot. This could be a big mistake though. Officers being investigated for performance and misconduct invariably want Federation advice and presence at interviews. The whole system could grind to a halt.

"It is about time the police had a thorough shake up. They are lazy and complacent and for too long have been oneo the last of the vast state monolithic uniformed entities, like nurses and prison warders, who have vast publicity machines which bleat on about how sacred they are. The police is a shambles, with officers often rude, inept, thick, violent and being convicted daily of ciminal offences. They attract no respect from ordinary law abiding citixens any more. The Chief inspector of consabulary is not in post to be a jobsworth native mouthpiece for the wretched police federation or ACPO unions, he or she is there to serve the public interest. That means the public. To make sure the police are behaving properly, getting rid of the criminals in their own ranks, the rude, the violent, the lazy. A police force which investigattes serious crimes as a priority, rather than chasing round at the soft targets of honest people. Then we might have a police force we can respect again"- mary, whitton, middx, 09

IMHO, the power of this statement arises from its honest, simple articulation of typical citizen views.

Well good luck to Mary, melv. When she has got G4S patrolling her street, responding to her emergency calls and investigating her crimes she will long for the day she had an accountable police force and someone whose intellect doesn't equate to the minimum wage.

The notion that police officers are committing crimes daily is a huge exaggeration. And what the leftie brigade can never get their head around is the fact that the vast majority of officers that do commit offences are teased out by their colleagues.

This other fallacy that the police fail to investigate serious crime and focus on soft targets and the innocent is laughable. The prisons are burgeoning because of the failure of the justice system to deal effectively with persistent offenders who go on to commit more and more serious crimes until they eventually get locked up for a long time. The police are the only part of the justice system of any effect whatsoever. The whinging Daily Mail reporter who has a go at the police every time they get a speeding ticket is easy fodder for the average Daily Mail reader like Mary.

I'm absolutely astonished that anyone on the left would trust the current government to serve the public interest by appointing a candidate that:A) regurgitated Camerons's views from speeches as far back as 2003 in his 'independant' reportB) has financial/business ties with G4S

It is clear that the cuts and changes proposed by the Winsor report are ideological - not driven by either the public interest, or the economic situation.

The government are currently the common enemy to both the left and the right - they serve neither side, they only serve big business. We really ought to put aside the old looney lefty, rabid righty labels and fight on our common ground before we all lose.

In my honest opinion (IMHO) your last comment confirms that mastery of this Language is asking far 'to' much of your abilities.

@ lex

Mary expressed no desire to see G4S patrolling her street, ut humiliter opinor. Her forthright comments are sincere and you sense within them, a concluding note of optimism. An angry tongue lashing certainly; yet there was an implied preference for any police services worthy of redemption.

melv, if you believe the stats, around 70% of the public are very satisfied with their policing. In some areas it is over 80%.Mary does not reflect the view of the average member of the public. Her diatribe is quite simply plagiarism of the comments by ignorant lazy journalists who have no basic understanding of policing.She implies that Winsor may bring about a police service that she can respect. I have pointed out that it will bring about just the opposite. Ignorance is bliss.

Quotation of the Day

Statement of Intent

The opinions and views expressed here are mine, and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the Utopian Police Force nor the City of Utopia.The stories I tell here are all true but my purpose is not technical accuracy. My purpose is to illustrate the nature of policing in an educational and entertaining way.

I have tried to respect the privacy of the citizens of the city and to relate specific facts without identifying individuals. I believe I succeed in this but if you do recognize yourself and believe others will too, please contact me and I shall rectify it.